Travel from U.S. to Philippines and Japan

[IYAAYAS05 1]

Hi. Have a question, hopefully this is the correct area to ask, if not my apologies. My wife (who is from Philippines) and I (i'm a U.S. citizen and in the military) are planning to go to the Philippines for Christmas and New Year and then on the way back to the U.S., stop in Japan and visit her sister, who lives in Japan, for a week before finally returning to the U.S.

Our issue, is that as of right now my wife is still waiting for her AOS to be approved (USCIS is saying 39 days or less we should have an answer) and get her green card/residency card. We know we need need a visa for her to be able to go to Japan. The Japanese embassy closest to us (Chicago) says they need a copy of her green card along with all the other documents and her passport before they will issue her a visa. Has anyone ever been able to get the visa with only the AP/EAD card or is it impossible and we need her to have a green card?

Basically what i'm asking is, was the person at the Japanese embassy correct and we have to wait or did they maybe misunderstand me (as I told them all the information about my wife and that she's still waiting for her GC). We just don't understand why her AP/EAD card won't work. We're married, have a 3 month old baby, she's about to start college, has assets here, ect,. She has no reason to stay in the PI or Japan illegally or anything, which is why i'm guessing they want that stuff.

Thank you for any help!

[KazuriSana 324]

The AP part in the AP/EAD should be good.

If you have tried explaining at the Japanese consulate nearest to you and they still don't understand, maybe it might be better to cal the Embassy of Japan in the United States of America - in Washington, DC. The phone number for the visa section is 202-238-6800.

[actob99 156]

We will be getting a japaneese visa in a couple weeks for my fiancee for traveling through Japan. We are just getting married tomorrow so we don't have the documents that you have. If you check the website for the requirements is says nothing about a green card needed. I'm sure it isn't going to hurt. I see no reason why if you showed up to the embassy in Chicago, like we are going to do, with the documents they request, you will have no problems.

[Tahoma 2,292]

We will be getting a japaneese visa in a couple weeks for my fiancee for traveling through Japan. We are just getting married tomorrow so we don't have the documents that you have. If you check the website for the requirements is says nothing about a green card needed. I'm sure it isn't going to hurt. I see no reason why if you showed up to the embassy in Chicago, like we are going to do, with the documents they request, you will have no problems.

Assuming your wife gets a Japanese tourist visa, how is she going to reenter the U.S. without advanced parole?

[actob99 156]

She will have Advanced Parole.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi. Have a question, hopefully this is the correct area to ask, if not my apologies. My wife (who is from Philippines) and I (i'm a U.S. citizen and in the military) are planning to go to the Philippines for Christmas and New Year and then on the way back to the U.S., stop in Japan and visit her sister, who lives in Japan, for a week before finally returning to the U.S.

Our issue, is that as of right now my wife is still waiting for her AOS to be approved (USCIS is saying 39 days or less we should have an answer) and get her green card/residency card. We know we need need a visa for her to be able to go to Japan. The Japanese embassy closest to us (Chicago) says they need a copy of her green card along with all the other documents and her passport before they will issue her a visa. Has anyone ever been able to get the visa with only the AP/EAD card or is it impossible and we need her to have a green card?

Basically what i'm asking is, was the person at the Japanese embassy correct and we have to wait or did they maybe misunderstand me (as I told them all the information about my wife and that she's still waiting for her GC). We just don't understand why her AP/EAD card won't work. We're married, have a 3 month old baby, she's about to start college, has assets here, ect,. She has no reason to stay in the PI or Japan illegally or anything, which is why i'm guessing they want that stuff.

Thank you for any help!

Your wife will be traveling with a Philippine passport, logic says she only needs to meet whatever requirements there are for a Philippine citizen (being she is) to enter Japan. Yes I realize GC holders are treated differently regarding traveling to other countries, but in your case you don't have that... yet.

The AP's only value is for getting back into the U.S. and even that is not etched in stone and states so on the card.

[IYAAYAS05 1]

ok well i called the JP embassy in Chicago to clairfy. they do ask for a copy of your GC to get the visa. but blessedassurance is correct, they ead/ap card will suffice is what they told me. they also require things like a hand written invitation letter from whomever you are visiting and it must be in japanese and have their name and address. there is a formal type document that is in japanese, but they said it's not needed, just a made up hand written document straight to the point. also they'll need a copy of recent bank statement and copy of marriage certificate (if your spouse hasn't changed their passport to their married name like mine).

i would go to chicago if it wasn't 10 hours away driving or 2 hour flight. i don't have time, nor the money for that anyway.

we should have my wife's GC by beginning of december, but i can't wait til the last second to get this done.

Edited October 31, 2012 by iyaayas05

[IYAAYAS05 1]

just an update, we got the visa to Japan no problem. the embassy processed her visa and sent it out within the same week and we actually had to wait longer on our crappy mail system here in the good ol' States than we did for to get the visa. and usps wonders why they're going broke....

[actob99 156]

just an update, we got the visa to Japan no problem. the embassy processed her visa and sent it out within the same week and we actually had to wait longer on our crappy mail system here in the good ol' States than we did for to get the visa. and usps wonders why they're going broke....

Can I ask what you submitted? Did you go through the Japaneese Embassy in Chicago?